Rob Grantham
Born 1938 · Age 87
British investor, co-founder and chief investment strategist of GMO LLC, and philanthropist focused on climate change; co-founder of Batterymarch and the Grantham Foundation.
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Rob Grantham and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in Ware, Hertfordshire, England
Robert Jeremy Goltho Grantham born in Ware; later grew up in Doncaster.
Completed undergraduate studies at University of Sheffield (Economics)
Studied economics at the University of Sheffield (exact graduation year not stated; estimated based on birth year and later MBA timing).
Completed MBA at Harvard Business School
Completed an M.B.A. at Harvard Business School (MBA class year 1966).
Entered management consulting after HBS
After business school Grantham went into management consulting before moving into investment roles.
Began investment career as economist at Royal Dutch Shell
Worked as an economist with Royal Dutch Shell early in his investment career (exact dates not specified; placed after HBS and consulting).
Co-founded Batterymarch Financial Management
Co-founded Batterymarch Financial Management, an early investment management firm.
Recommended commercial indexing at Batterymarch
At Batterymarch he recommended commercial indexing (1971) and helped establish one of the earliest index funds.
Helped start one of the world's earliest index funds
Part of the team that launched an early index mutual fund at Batterymarch (unusual idea at the time; the fund was not a lasting commercial success).
Became GMO's long-term/chief investment strategist and board member
Took on the role of GMO's chief/long-term investment strategist; active on the asset allocation team and a member of GMO's board (ongoing role from founding onward).
Co-founded GMO (Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co.)
Co-founded GMO, a Boston-based institutional asset management firm; served as co-founder and long-term/chief investment strategist.
Founded the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment
Jeremy and his wife Hannelore established the Grantham Foundation to fund climate change research and environmental protection initiatives.
Grantham Foundation began funding the Grantham Prize (annual)
From 2006 the Foundation funded a $75,000 prize for environmental journalism administered by the University of Rhode Island's Metcalf Institute (funding ran 2006–2012).
Wrote Fortune article predicting 'three near certainties'
September 2007 Fortune article predicting profit margins would come down, housing would break, and risk premia would widen (pre-2008 crisis prediction).
Fall 2008 GMO letter criticizing crisis responses
In GMO's Fall 2008 letter Grantham analyzed causes of the credit crisis and criticized authorities and major firms for failing to see it coming.
Vocal critic of governmental responses to 2008 financial crisis
Publicly criticized policy responses and leadership during and after the 2007–2008 credit crisis (writings and interviews).
Awarded honorary degree from Imperial College London
Received an honorary degree from Imperial College London in recognition of his contributions (listed in Wikipedia references).
Awarded honorary degree from The New School (NY)
Received an honorary degree from The New School in New York.
GMO Quarterly Letter (April 2010) on mean reversion and bubbles
In GMO's April 2010 Quarterly Letter Grantham discussed bubble dynamics and reversion to the mean using historical data.
Advocated timber as an investment (NYT coverage)
Around 2010 he publicly advocated timber as an investment; cited in New York Times coverage about timber diversification.
Grantham Foundation 2011 grants (tax filing disclosed)
2011 tax filing shows the Foundation donated $1M to Sierra Club, $1M to The Nature Conservancy and $2M to Environmental Defense Fund (total $4M in noted grants).
Included in Bloomberg Markets '50 Most Influential' ranking
Named in Bloomberg Markets magazine's 50 Most Influential list (2011).
Published 'Time to wake up' essay
Published 'Time to wake up: Days of abundant resources and falling prices are over forever' (The Oil Drum), highlighting resource and energy challenges.
Awarded honorary degree from University of Sheffield
Received an honorary degree from his alma mater, the University of Sheffield.
Grantham Prize funding ended (prize ran 2006–2012)
The $75,000 annual Grantham Prize for environmental journalism was funded by the Foundation through 2012.
Profiled in The Guardian on environmental philanthropy
Featured interview/article in The Guardian discussing his environmental philanthropy and views on climate change (April 2013).
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (listed among honors).
GMO publicized AUM > $118 billion (March 2015)
GMO reported more than US$118 billion in assets under management as of March 2015.
Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Appointed CBE in the 2016 Birthday Honours for philanthropic service to climate change research.
Received Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy (with wife Hannelore)
Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham jointly received the Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy in recognition of climate philanthropy leadership.
Delivered 'Race of Our Lives' speech at Morningstar Investment Conference
Presented his notable 'Race of Our Lives' speech in Chicago at the 2018 Morningstar Investment Conference about climate and investment implications.
Featured in Bloomberg Businessweek on climate investing
Bloomberg Businessweek published a feature on Grantham focusing on his environmental philanthropy and investment views (Jan 17, 2019).
Interviewed on CNBC (published Mar 7, 2019)
Appeared on CNBC discussing markets and climate-related investing themes.
Committed ~98% (~$1B) of personal wealth to fight climate change
Announced dedication of approximately 98% of his personal wealth — roughly $1 billion — to combat climate change and support green investments and philanthropy.
Venture portfolio strong performance and QuantumScape public
Grantham's venture-capital holdings performed well in 2020 (portfolio up 102% for 2020); QuantumScape's public listing was a notable contributor.
Documentary controversy over timber and Sierra Club ties
Jeff Gibbs' documentary 'Planet of the Humans' (2020) criticized perceived conflicts between Grantham's timber investments and environmental philanthropy; generated public debate.
GMO AUM reported at $65 billion (Dec 2020)
GMO's assets under management had fallen to approximately $65 billion as of December 2020 (from $118B in 2015).
Deployed $74M into 34 climate startups (cumulative)
Grantham and his team had deployed approximately $74 million into 34 'neglected climate opportunities' startups as part of foundation/personal investing by 2021.
Foundation/holdings assets and VC allocation reported (~$1.4B)
By 2021 venture capital and private investments made up more than three-quarters of about $1.4 billion in assets managed across his foundation, charitable trust, and personal holdings.
Interview on investment bubbles and timing (2021)
In a 2021 interview Grantham emphasized that identifying overpricing is easier than predicting when bubbles will collapse; reiterated long-term value approach.
Featured in Harvard Business School alumni '3-Minute Briefing' (June 1, 2023)
HBS alumni website published a featured short briefing/profile on Jeremy Grantham (MBA 1966) highlighting his work on climate and investing.
Profiled as leading environmental philanthropist (Times of Israel)
An August 2024 profile summarized Grantham's transition from investor to one of the most prominent private funders of environmental research and advocacy.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Rob Grantham and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Eric Idle
Born 1943 · Age 82
English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright; member of Monty Python; creator/co-writer of Spamalot; known for songs including "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."
George R. Roberts
Born 1943 · Age 82
American billionaire financier; co‑founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR); philanthropist and founder/chairman of the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF).
Judith Faulkner
Born 1943 · Age 82
Founder and CEO of Epic Systems, a leading healthcare software company. Pioneer of patient-centric electronic health records and a major philanthropist.
Lech Wałęsa
Born 1943 · Age 82
Polish electrician-turned-dissident, leader of the Solidarity trade-union, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1983) and President of Poland (1990–1995). Key figure in ending Communist rule in Poland and the broader collapse of the Eastern Bloc.
Bessel van der Kolk
Born 1943 · Age 82
Dutch-American psychiatrist, researcher and educator best known for decades of pioneering work on traumatic stress and author of The Body Keeps the Score.
Desmond Humphrys
Born 1943 · Age 82
Welsh broadcaster, journalist and author; long-time BBC presenter of Nine O'Clock News (1981–1987) and Radio 4's Today (1987–2019); host of Mastermind (2003–2021).